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CHAPTER V.

His diligence-the light in which he beheld mankind-the substance of a conversation held with Earl Mexborough-Samuel's cir cumscribed knowledge in natural history—his views of the Bible-proofs in favour of the doctrine of future rewards and punishments-his visit to the seat of Earl Mexborough-a point of conscience-a paintiny-fidelity in reproving sin, at the hazard of being injured in his trade-the millenium dexterously hitched in, as a check to pleasure takers-three hunting ecclesiastics rendered the subject of merriment among the titled laity -ministerial fruit a proof of the power of truth, not of a call to preach it-duty on saddled horses viewed as a hardshipSamuel's more extended labours-privations-persecutions-a poor widow-a conquest over bigotry at Ledsham.

Being now recognised as a regular local preacher, Samuel conscientiously attended to his various appointments, though he was far from parsimoniously confining himself to them, as if duty proceeded no further than the limits prescribed to him by his brethren. His zeal was not to be bounded by the appointments of a plan. He observed his appointments as he did his regular seasons for private prayer-as duties to be performed-not to be neglected but with peril-and attended to with delight; but extra work was like a special season for retirement-something out of the regular track-and was enjoyed by him as children revel in the enjoyment of a holiday. In the Church of Rome he would have had the credit of being wealthy in works of supererogation. He imitated, on a miniature scale, the great apostle of the gentiles, and was "in

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labours more abundant:" and why? He was in his Master's work, as St. John was in his Lord's sabbath" in the Spirit ;" and in the spirit of the thing itself too, he was always found.

His zeal, however, as has already appeared, was not a mere crackling blaze in the pulpit. His workshop was his chapel, and many were the homilies which he delivered over the anvil and over the vice, to both rich and poor. In this he was no respecter of persons. He looked upon every human being as possessed of an immortal spirit-depraved by nature-redeemed by Christ -within the reach of mercy-and himself as accountable to God for the improvement or nonimprovement of opportunities of usefulness to them and hence, to repeat his own language, he" was always at them," because always yearning over them in melting compassion. Adverting to the more early part of his history, he observes, "At this time I feared no man, but loved all; for I wanted all to enjoy what I felt. I remember Lord Mexborough calling at my shop one day, to get his horse shod. The horse was a fine animal. I had to back him into the smithy. I told his lordship that he was more highly favoured than our Saviour, for he had only an ass to ride on, when he was upon earth." The Earl suspecting that Samuel was not very well instructed in natural history, replied, "In the country where our Saviour was born, the people had rarely any thing but asses to ride upon; and many of them were among the finest animals under heaven, standing from sixteen to seventeen hands high." This information was new; and as grateful apparently for the improved condition of his divine Master, as for an increase

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of knowledge, Samuel exclaimed, "Bless the Lord! I am glad to hear that: I thought they were like the asses in our own country. Samuel's simplicity might excite a smile; but there were other biblical subjects which gave him a superiority over many of his more learned fellowcreatures. The Bible was better known by him as a revelation of God, on subjects of a spiritual and experimental nature, than as a historical record.*

"I am

While Samuel was engaged with the horse, the Earl, says he, "sat down on the steady clog,' and with great condescension and familiarity, entered into conversation with him. inclined to think, my good man," said the noble visitant," that you know something of futurity. Pray, what becomes of the soul when it leaves the body?" As Samuel had no doubt of the divine authority of the Scriptures himself, he took it for granted-more from the strength of his own faith, than presuming upon it out of courtesy, as St. Paul might have done in the case of Agrippa, when there was no evidence to the contrary that the Earl was also a believer in

* It is stated that Dr. Doddridge, while engaged with his Expositor, was in the hahit of consulting one of the old members of his church on those texts of Scripture, which contain in them the heights and depths of Christian experience-conduct equally complimentary to the Dr.'s condescension and the venerable man's piety. The Dr., though a pious man himself, knew that experimental religion was progressive in its character and operations, and beheld his hoary auditor as having many years the advance of him -beheld him like mellow fruit, ready to drop off, or to be plucked for heaven. He was aware that he himself wanted age and sunning for several passages; and although he brought all the experience he possessed to bear upon them, he suspected there was still something beyond. To his own head, he required the advantage of the old man's heart: and united knowledge and experience tell upon the understandings and affections of others.

their truth, and proceeded to state, that, in times of old, "there was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day-that this man died, and was buried that, though the body was committed to the dust, the soul was sent to hell-that both would remain till the morning of the resurrection-and that, at that period the body and the soul, which had shared in each other's wickedness, should also share in the miseries of the damned, and the smoke of their torments would ascend for ever and ever :-that there was likewise a poor man, named Lazarus, which was laid at the rich man's gate, full of sores-that he died too-that angels carried his soul to Abraham's bosom--that the soul would remain there till the great archangel's trumpet should sound, when rich and poor, small and great, should stand before God-and that the soul and body which shared in each other's sufferings upon earth, would share in each other's joys in heaven." It never entered into Samuel's mind to enquire whether the narrative came in the shape of a history, or of a parable; and neither was it indeed necessary to his purpose, as parable is the representation of truth-truth in the spirit, though not in the letter: nor had he any thing else in view-unless it were that of making the subject speak through the "rich man" to his noble auditor-than to establish, in the best way he was able, the existence of the soul, and the doctrine of future rewards and punishments. If the character before him had been such as to have admitted an approach to the probationary character of the "rich man," a thorough knowledge of Samuel's intellectual powers would at once have destroyed

the supposition of any thing like design to institute a parallelism: and yet, there were few subjects-considering his own piety and station in society, and the exalted rank of the interrogator -more calculated to fix attention, or that could better afford ground for reflection and inference. The Earl remarked that he was of the same opinion with Samuel himself on the subject of a future state, and wished the whole world possessed the same faith.

Having thus received a little encouragement, Samuel proceeded to shew that something more was implied in faith, than a bare assent to the doctrines of the Bible; and to guard the Earl against any error, gave him an account of his experience, which was as artless in its design and detail, as that of St. Paul's was seasonable in the presence of Agrippa. In evidence that it was taken in good feeling, "he stopped," says Samuel, "till I related it, and gave me half-acrown for preaching this short sermon to him."

Not long after this, he was planned to preach at Methley, and had some of the servants of the same nobleman for his hearers, to one of whom -a female-he was uncle. Partly out of respect to Samuel, and partly to his niece, the servants united in inviting him to spend the evening with them at the hall. But before he could comply with the request, he had a piece of casuistry to settle with his own conscience. The Earl and the family were in the metropolis, and he could not conceive how he could live at the noble proprietor's expense, without his consent, and remain guiltless. This point was soon disposed of, by the servants informing him, that during the absence of the family, they were "living at

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